New Pro-life Checks

By now we should all be aware that LifeChecks wasn't exactly pro-life. Since finding out they endorsed abortion organizations, many customers of LifeChecks had to do without a pro-life check. Thanks to Heritage House we now have a truly pro-life check to order. Please be sure to check them out.

New Blog - American Politics From a Catholic Perspective

Check out a this new blog American Catholic

As Tito, one of the contributors and founder of the blog writes:

...I have assembled twelve bright, engaging, thoughtful, and faithful Catholics to blog on American politics from a Catholic perspective. This new blog is called American Catholic.

We hope to share our Catholic faith in the public square of politics and culture for the betterment of the common good.

I am personally contacting you about this new development. Yes, there are some Catholic blogs/websites that cater to politics, but what separates us from them is the proficiency of our posts with fidelity to Catholic teaching. We hope (I want) to make a major impact in the public discussion of politics not only in the Catholic blogosphere, but in the Political blogosphere as well. We have answered the call from the Second Vatican Council to positively engage the world with the teachings of the Catholic Church...

Day 6 - Prayer for Our Husbands

Day 6 - Prayering for Our Husbands

St. Paul Advises Catholic Bloggers

Mahalo to Fr. Mark of Vultus Christi for sharing the following:

Finally, bloggers, whatever is true,
whatever is honourable,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy of praise,
blog about these things.

What you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me, do:
and the God of Peace will be with you.

Today's Epistle: Philippians 4, 6-9

My Promise to the Blessed Mother

Like any good Catholic mom, my mother taught her children how to pray the Holy Rosary. However, our family did not pray the Rosary together every night. I think we would have done so more willingly if our dad had joined in. But I think he came from the old Latino school where the prayers and housework were left to the women. I do remember a few times we did pray the Rosary as a family. One time was when we thought our dad had had a heart attack and then after my parents adopted our two little brothers, we tried to set a good example by praying the Rosary in the evenings when the boys were still little.

When I was about 19 years old, the Capuchin Friars at our parish had such a profound effect on me spiritually. I believe it was around that time that I promised our Lady I would pray the Holy Rosary daily.

From that day forward, I said the Rosary daily. Notice I did not say prayed the Rosary but more accurately, I said the Rosary. I did it just to get it over with. Many times I would be tempted to skip that day's Rosary.

My mother once told me, once you make a promise to Our Lady, she expects you to keep it. My mother told me a story of a saintly person who promised to pray a Hail Mary for our Lady's intention at a certain time of day. He did so for a while and then fell out of that habit. One day our lady seemed displeased with him. He asked her about this and she reminded him of his promise and pointed out his failure to keep it. Right away, he asked for her forgiveness and never missed a Hail Mary for her intentions again.

It seemed like every time I had the temptation to skip the Rosary, A voice inside me would nag me not to skip it. I realized right away, it was our Lady was reminding me of my promise that I had made to her.

It has been almost 30 years since I made that promise and unless I was very sick, I have not skipped a day when I said the Rosary daily.

As I mentioned above, I really just wanted to get the 5 daily decades out of the way. I might have as well have prayed my Rosary the way the Little Shepherd Children at Fatima did..."Our Father. Hail Mary. Hail Mary..."Glory Be.....Amen" It did not help matters when I read in The Secret of the Rosary by Saint Louis de Montfort or another similar book, that our dear Blessed Mother will accept our poorly said Rosary just as our own dear earthly mother will accept our wilted little Dandelions as if they were beautiful roses. I rationalized that our Lady was just happy that I was at least saying the Rosary daily while other people were not. I was so wrong!

I had trouble meditating on the Mysteries. I just could not meditate. My mind would wander and I would start out with the best of intentions and end up 15 minutes later thinking about something trivial. I tried everything I could think of in order to grow to love praying the Rosary. I continuously asked friends and family for the secret to meditating on the mysteries. I listened tapes on the Rosary, I read books, read Rosary meditation pamphlets, prayed it in Church, prayed it in a group....but to no avail.. I merely paid our lady lip-service. But since I said the Rosary, I felt I had met my obligation. It just didn't feel very fulfilled spiritually speaking....but I persevered.

It never occurred to me to ask for our Lord or Lady's help in praying the Rosary.

Now that I am a mom of an almost adult son, I finally am able to meditate on the mysteries.

I wish I could tell you there was a secret I could share with you. But there really wasn't. It was a combination of things that led to my love of the Rosary and a devotion to our Blessed Mother. I think the turning point was when I started attending Holy Mass daily. Another thing that helped was praying the Holy Rosary in before the Blessed Sacrament in Eucharistic Adoration and before Mass. Praying the Rosary as a family in the evenings has also been invaluable to me.

I even taught myself little tricks that I found helpful. I close my eyes and try to picture the scenes depicted in a particular mystery or I try to imagine myself there in the scene. What would I do? Would I be courageous like Veronica for instance (in the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery) or would I be weak like the apostles in the First Sorrowful mystery?

One of the best things to happen to me in my growth in Rosary meditation, was to have our beloved Holy Father John Paul II, add the new Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. With the Luminous Mysteries, we just about cover all of the Sacraments! My favorite one is the last one...The Institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. My soul is overwhelmed with love when I meditate on God's great love for us in giving us His precious Body and Blood. He also instituted the priesthood to ensure that we could always have the Holy Eucharist with us as long as we have Catholic priests.

So in this month of the Holy Rosary, I am very grateful that after many dry years of prayers especially when it came to the Rosary, and struggles to develop a love and devotion to our Blessed Mother, I am now able to PRAY the Holy Rosary of Our Lady and not merely SAY the Rosary. And, I have continued to keep my promise to our Lady.

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis - Guido Reni

He is one of our beloved and popular saints! In honor of his feast day, I recommend reading The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi. It can be found online at EWTN Library.

I remember reading this little treasure in my late teens. I had a deep impact on me. I still remember with fondness, the time I read that book.

Fine Art Friday - Luca and Andrea Della Robbia

Baptism of Christ - Andrea Della Robbia
Infant Jesus in Swaddling Clothes - Andrea Della Robbia
The Resurrection - Andrea Della Robbia
Nativity - Andrea Della Robbia
Detail of the Nativity - Luca Della Robbia
The Ascension - Luca Della Robbia
Virgin and Child - Luca Della Robbia

Detail of the Cantoria - Luca Della Robbia

Wikipedia - Luca Della Robbia

Luca della Robbia (1400-1482) was an Italian sculptor from Florence, noted for his terracotta roundels.

Luca Della Robbia developed a pottery glaze that made his creations more durable in the outdoors and thus suitable for use on the exterior of buildings. His work is noted for its charm rather than the drama of the work of some of his contemporaries.

Andrea Della Robbia - Nephew, pupil, assistant, and sharer of Luca's secrets, b. at Florence, 1431; d. 1528. It is often difficult to distinguish between his works and Luca's.

New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia - Andrea Della Robbia

Feast of our Guardian Angel - Quotes

“These things I warmly wish for you Someone to love, some work to do, A bit o' sun, a bit o' cheer, And a guardian angel always near” - Irish Blessing

“We cannot pass our guardian angel's bounds, resigned or sullen, he will hear our sighs.” - St. Augustine

“One should not stand at the foot of a sick person's bed, because that place is reserved for the guardian angel” - Jewish Proverb

"Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
The bed be blest that I lie on.
Four angels to my bed.
Four angels round my head,
One to watch, and one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away". - Thomas Ady - A Candle in the Dark

"Never place a period where your angel has placed a comma". - Anonymous

"Angels are speaking to all of us... some of us are only listening better." - Anoymous

"Since God often sends us inspirations by means of His angels, we should frequently return our aspirations to him by means of the same messingers." - St. Francis De Sales

"Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly" - G.K. Chesterton

Feast of St. Therese, the Little Flower - Story of a Soul

In honor of this young saint's feast day, it would be wonderful for those of you who haven't read her autobiography, to do so today. You can read it online at the following:

PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF A SOUL

Saintly Quote - Freedom From Anger

The beginning of freedom from anger is silence of the lips when the heart is agitated;
the middle is silence of thoughts when there is disturbance of the soul;
and the end is an imperturbable calm under the breath of unclean winds.

St. John Climacus

Thanks to Sue